Authorities have taken significant action in the murder investigation of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Bijapur, with the arrest of five officials from the Public Works Department (PWD). The arrests occurred on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the case. The detained officials include several Executive Engineers (both retired and current), a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), and a Sub-Engineer. They have been remanded to judicial custody for two days while the investigation continues.
**Arrested Officials:**
* D.R. Sahu (Retired Executive Engineer)
* V.K. Chouhan (Retired Executive Engineer)
* H.N. Patra – The then Executive Engineer
* Pramod Singh Kanwar – SDO Bijapur
* Santosh Das – Sub-Engineer, Jagdalpur
**Currently in Remand:**
* Suresh Chandrakar
**On Anticipatory Bail:**
* B. L. Dhruv – The then Executive Engineer
* R.K. Sinha – SDO
* G.S. Kodopi – Sub-Engineer
### The Discovery of the Body
Mukesh Chandrakar went missing on January 1, 2025, and his body was later discovered on January 3 in a sealed septic tank. The primary suspect, contractor Suresh Chandrakar, was apprehended by the police in Hyderabad.
**The Reason Behind the Murder**
Mukesh Chandrakar was a freelance journalist who was focused on exposing corruption within the road construction projects in Bijapur, a Naxal-affected area. He had used social media and his video platform to show the poor quality of the road constructions. It is believed that contractor Suresh Chandrakar, who was also a relative of Mukesh, plotted his murder because he was angered by the reports.